The ladies from 'Game of Thrones' have just as much to say about power as do the bickering boys they are orbiting.

Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones

In the past two seasons of HBO's hit series Game of Thrones, there have been a lot of battles, blood, and heaving bosoms throughout GOT's medieval setting, the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. And while it's sometimes impossible not to gratifyingly gasp or gawk at such diversions, what’s more intriguing to the pay-cable smart set, as the show preps for its return on March 31, isn't so much the archetypal maleness of Westeros as it is the female power dynamics at the periphery of the men's incessant wheeling, dealing, and attempted Iron Throne stealing. There's a lot at stake—for everyone—as war looms over the capital city of King's Landing, and these five women play the who's-ahead-of-the-pack game every bit as keenly as the men. You’d never call them a sorority (talk about a lot of hair pulling), but it’s clear these ladies collectively have just as much to say about power as do the bickering boys they're orbiting.

Catelyn Stark, Lady of Winterfell

Catelyn Stark, Lady of Winterfell

So, your husband's been wrongfully beheaded for treason, your castle is besieged, and you're facing some roadblocks—like your son marrying a lowly field nurse rather than a daughter of an allied house—in rallying armies to your side to dethrone the corrupt royal family. Not to worry. With her head securely on her shoulders and a pragmatic approach to brokering political deals, Lady Stark exemplifies how cunning doesn't have to mean deceitful, and she shows that simply using your God-given smarts as best you can will go far in plotting your long game.